Theta Tales
by Tyrfing1827
Summary: Because before Team Aqua and Magma there was another. A look into the Hoenn region eight years before the beginning of ORAS. Based on Omega Ruby. Rated T for mild language, character death.
1. Chapter 1

Theta Tales chapter 1

This was a bad idea. A very bad idea.

The leader of Team Epsilon stood before Morgan, looking down at the group of new recruits assembled in a neat line.

She had never liked listening to authority figures. So why the heck did she decide to join an evil organization run by someone who most likely demanded absolute respect?

To make her horrible day better, there were admins too. A man she didn't know, glare practically seething under his hood, had introduced himself as Admin Dock. Yeesh, that glare could rival a seviper's.

And to her surprise, Wattson was standing on the man's other side, grinning carefree. Morgan quickly masked her surprise behind an expressionless facade. The same Wattson the Electric Bomb from the Kalos War? Who knew a gym leader who also used to be a feared general doubled as an admin for an illegal underground organization? It was truly a small region after all.

Morgan had to quickly turn her attention to their boss as he started speaking.

"Today, I welcome all of you to Team Epsilon."

His voice wasn't that of an evil villain's. He just sounded like an ordinary kind man. In fact, he was smiling kindly. Pale blue hair framed his (somewhat aged) handsome face, eyes welcoming. He looked oddly familiar. So why did she get a feeling that something was off about him?

"Our mission is to harness Infinite Energy for the good of mankind. From today on, all of you will be loyal to one person: me. Is this understood?"

Right, and she was a flygon living in the middle of the ocean. No way in hell that was happening. Morgan snapped to attention along with the other grunts.

"Sir, yes sir! All hail Infinite Energy!"

Why were they not saluting their dear boss again? Morgan really should be paying more attention. Oh well. She tuned out the rest of the speech as her new boss started talking about other things. Probably some important stuff, but Morgan was too easily bored.

Damn her father for dragging her into this mess. It wasn't his fault, really, but Morgan still blamed him. If it wasn't for him though, she never would've needed to make cash to support what was rest of her family. Getting a legal job was out of the question. So of course, she turned to the easiest way to get cash other can hunting and selling pokemon parts— joining an illegal team. Killing pokemon never sat well with her.

As the new grunts were led into their sleeping quarters (apparently, the hideout didn't have enough space for separate gender sleeping quarters; she called bullshit on that), Morgan pondered on what the space deeper underground was for, as their footsteps practically echoed underground. Not to mention the sound of whirring machine parts screaming under their feet. Didn't anyone else hear that?

For a "secret hideout," this place sure was big and loud.

—

_When Morgan was five and had just started in the Trainers School of Rustboro, she had barely known her father. All she remembered about him was his dark brown-almost-black hair, and his scent. He had always smelled of pokemon fur. _

_Mother had said he was busy training and getting stronger and that he would come home soon and see them and bring presents and… she was lying. _

_"__Don't worry, my little angel."_

_She had always called her that, looking at her with beautiful blue-green eyes that Morgan had always associated with the seaside on a sunny day. _

_"__I'm sure your papa is just busy. He's fine."_

_Her eyes, however, were hopeless. She already knew that her husband wasn't coming home anytime soon._

_Did she think that Morgan didn't notice? The way that her own mother was staring out the window to route 113 with a sad look in her eyes, longing for someone who never came home, who would never come home to see his family…_

_Really, how busy can someone be? To forget his own family? What had they ever done to him?_

_Everyday she got up early to travel to Rustboro for school early in the morning, Morgan could hear her mother crying, alone, sobbing for her father, who had forgotten to call her. _

_Again. _

_One of these days, her father was going to pay._

—-

Well, at least this wasn't as bad as she was expecting.

For one, the suits looked adequate enough. Black pants with dark green tops, all covered with a cape and a giant bright E logo on the back. Honestly though, whoever designed these did not think about comfort. Morgan could barely deal with the itchiness. Morgan quickly made a mental note to acquire some proper cloth and make herself a new one. She highly doubted that anyone would notice, looking at the IQ of half the room she was in. Was that guy seriously trying to- oh dear Rayquaza, she was stuck in a room of idiots.

Another thing she was grateful for was that the grunts got to keep their old pokemon if they had any. She had heard of teams in other regions taking away pokemon of grunts if they had owned any previous to joining the organization, unless they were real powerhouses. Hell would be upon anyone that dared to separate her and Apolyta. Not that she could really do anything by herself against an entire organization, but she would make her protest clear. Violently.

The last time they were separated, Morgan had been ten, and it was Apolyta that had come to her rescue, and killed the man that had done it. She couldn't do anything, and had just sat there, eyes frozen to her savior in fear of what could've happened. It had been terrifying. Morgan would never go around Mauville City at night again.

Cash is cash, she reminded herself. And any money is good money, though it might not be clean. But where did it come from? It's not like the people they terrified would willingly throw money at them, and the towns the Team destroyed wouldn't have had anything survive the fire. So was there a bigger organization above this organization? She was straying into dangerous thoughts. Ignoring the chatter of the other grunts around her, Morgan closed her eyes and slept.

—

_Trainer school was bad. Whoever thought it was a good idea to stick all kids from the ages of five to ten, when they could officially get their trainer's license, was an idiot, Morgan decided. _

_The first day of school, Morgan's mother had to drag Morgan to Rustboro. When she introduced Mr. Reed, who was going to be Morgan's teacher, he had smiled and quickly excused himself to save a caretaker from a kid. _

_It had been a couple of weeks since she enrolled in the place she personally nicknamed "Hell"._

_The other children were annoying, it smelled like Joey had farted again, and she was getting nauseous. And Morgan wasn't even going to think about the little showoffs shoving their pokemon (that their family had caught, bred, or bought for them) in other people's faces. _

_"__Hey, look at the pokemon my dad sent me!"_

_The kid's bagon was met with a bunch of oohs and ahs. Wait… a bagon?_

_Holy Rayquaza (Mother would, at this point, tell her not to say the great Sky Guardian's name in vain, but this was a real _dragon_!) what was Takao doing with a bagon someone call the Rangers this thing is going to set the school on fire-_

_Morgan took a deep breath, her face ashen and pale._

_"__Morgan, honey, are you okay? You look a bit sick."_

_Were these people idiots? A dragon type that learns ember at a relatively early stage in its life shouldn't be in a wooden building!_

_"__I'm… okay, I think. Can I go outside for a bit? For some fresh air?"_

_Her dark hair, cut into an uneven bob cut was apparently the "cutest thing ever", if what Morgan overheard the caretakers talking about was true. She wasn't above using it, along with her "growlithe eyes of doom" to get permission._

_Suckers. She wasn't going to be in that building when it burned down._

—

"Hey you, squirt, fight me!"

Archie. Built like a machamp and brain always lagging behind his body. She was surprised that the other grunts had started to avoid him sheerly due to the fact that he was almost two meters in height and strong, unbeatable with his carvanha that had seemingly iron skin. None of the grunts could last a minute against him. The guy was like a sharpedo that wanted to stake his territory by claiming his strength. Morgan thought that he was an idiot.

Morgan was also the only other grunt that had not fought him yet. And of course he had to notice that.

"C'mon! I can tell you're strong! Let's battle! Carvanha wants to take a bite out of your pokemon!"

His persuasive skills could use much help. Morgan sighed before turning to him.

"My... apologies, Archie, but I just decline. We are nearing our destination. It would be most unwise to damage our pokemon and fall back on our performance during the mission."

Apathy, apathy, sound like you don't give a flip, she wasn't going to show her true emotions in a place like this. Not when others could turn it against her. Not when she could get killed here.

"What's with that tone? Geez, squirt, you and I both know that we don't give a crap about the mission."

His intuition was unsettling, she mused. If only he could act on it more he would be a perfect manipulator, though she wasn't going to be the one telling him that. Looking around at their surroundings, Morgan noticed something and deadpanned.

"Archie, with all due respect, we're on a boat and surrounded by seawater. You're at an obvious advantage here."

"Damn it squirt, you've noticed. Wait! So you don't have a water type!"

"Good job, only 16 more types to go."

Surprisingly, he threw his head back and , most people by this point would have been thrown off at her unfriendliness. The other grunts had, at least. And since they were avoiding him too... Morgan's face paled a bit as she realized that he would stick to her like a magnet for a while.

"So, c'mon squirt, let's fight!"

She planted her face into her hand. Did he not realize that he had asked her this a couple of minutes ago? Despite that she couldn't help but to let a small smile out.

And promptly scowled as she realized something. He wouldn't stop calling her squirt. Rayquaza damn it, she wasn't that short. He was just abnormally tall. 152 centimeters was not short. Morgan growled under her breath.

"That's not my name, damn it."

—

_Takao Cozmo was annoying. The kid had a fascination with anything to do with stars and space. That was fine and all, but there was only one problem. He would not shut up about it. Morgan would've gladly told him to shut his face, but there was one problem. Takao was also four years older than her._

_Morgan had always hated talking to people older than her, be it in experience or age. Her mother had always called her a torkoal ready to go back in its shell at the slightest moment. Morgan never denied it. She didn't like strangers became her excuse whenever someone brought it up._

_She was right about that bagon though. She swore that it was laughing every time something was set ablaze._

_Takao had various parts of the trainer's school on fire, multiple times, claiming that his bagon, creatively nicknamed "Sirius", had sneezed. _

_("It's the name of a star!" he claimed, smiling. "I've even found it on my telescope!")_

_The other children had started to avoid him, and Morgan soon found out why. _

_His father was never home. Instead, he was a work-a-holic, whatever that meant._

_Huh._

_Seemed like she wasn't the only one with daddy issues. When she had finally gotten the nerves to go and talk to the older kid, she was disappointed. Takao had pretty much idolized his father. _

_Was it wrong for Morgan to hate her father for never being there? For never helping them out in times of need, especially when Mother was ill and sick and crying and— sweet Rayquaza, why? Where was he?_

_It made her angry just thinking about it. _

—-

**author notes:**

**This is what happens when I go to Sea Manville and check everything there is to check. That place is amazing. Plot bunnies, how I love you. Speaking of New Manville, cheers for ORAS lore. **

**OC!Morgan is someone that decided to jump in this story when I first started it. Worry not, because she'll affect the main plot very little. Or will she? bum bum bum...**

**Please drop a review on your way out. Constructive criticism will be appreciated. Until next time~!**


	2. Chapter 2

Six months. It's been a half a year, and Archie still hasn't stopped pestering her about battling him. She knew that she would eventually have to show her pokemon, but for now, she was happy keeping Apolyta a secret, thank you very much. As much as she disliked the place, the pay was decent enough.

Though now, it seemed Archie was an… acquaintance.

He was loud, annoying, about as secretive as a train wreck in the middle of Rustboro, and would not stop pestering her despite her cold attitude towards him and everyone around her. However, they looked out for each other on missions and bailed each other out of trouble from the admins (though mostly Dock, Wattson didn't seem to care) if needed. Like that one time in Slateport, when she had abandoned her post to help out a baby wingull from a group of little brats, or when Archie decided to take the challenge of the trick house (and had come out with his carvanha looking pissed off; apparently punching through the wall was not the correct way to clear it).

"_Hey squirt… We're friends, right?"_

_Friends…? What was a human friend? Humans lied. They cheated. The word was near foreign to her. Were they really friends?_

"…"

_A shark toothed grin. Confidence and happiness practically radiated from Archie. There was nothing deceptive in that gaze... or was there? Morgan couldn't tell. Hey, was that bad? That she had been shut off from human civilization for so long? _

"_I don't care what you think, but from today on, we're going to be best pals!"_

_Yeah, it probably was._

Morgan knew it couldn't last for long.

They were at a mission. Just the two of them. Thanks to Admin Wattson, who, despite his grinning countenance, was good at reading people, Morgan and Archie had been partnered up for numerous missions already.

They were guarding some important location at the summit of Mt. Chimney. She wasn't given any interesting details, and neither was Archie. They were just talking about nothing in particular, when-

Something went wrong.

It was a subtle change in the atmosphere. It wasn't much to note, except for the fact that a small increase of pressure could be felt.

Morgan frowned.

"Archie, is it just me or do you feel-"

Chaos.

Taillow and swellow, wingulls and pellipers, even some rarer bird pokemon that she didn't care about, flew in the air making a cacophony. The earth rumbled. Lava danced in the air, setting trees and bushes aflame.

The earth broke.

Cracks formed and pieces fell into lava where the land had been whole once and the earth was on fire—

"Squirt! Move!"

She couldn't. Her legs trembled and shook, and she couldn't move, her throat dry, fire was rearing its ugly head again, fire was attacking her again, _stop it,_ it burned, nonono not again, please, _stop this_, someone, Apolyta, help—

As if by magic, Apolyta appeared, grabbed and swung Morgan onto her back and ran, Archie following close behind. Fire reflected in the eyes of both pokemon and human.

The mountain exploded into a sea of lava.

—-

_She was seven when her father came home. Funny, for someone who just came back from pokemon training, he looked like he had never missed a meal and was well groomed too. Even Morgan could see that. There was just something about him... However, he made her mother happy and whole, and so she decided to tolerate his presence… for now, at least._

_She was seven-almost-eight when her father decided to suddenly move them way out to Fortree city, away from everyone she knew. _

_It wasn't like Morgan had any friends to say goodbye to. _

_The problem was, she didn't have anything to do while her father stayed at home (there was no way she was going to keep him company) and her mother did house chores. And when Morgan was out of the house (and the city; tree houses became boring after a while), she decided to go exploring. A route where wild pokemon could gobble her up in one bite and the fact that she didn't have anything to protect her was unimportant. She was going to _die _of boredom in the city!_

"…"

"…"

_Okay, starting a staring contest with a pokemon she didn't recognize the species of was not a good idea. Maybe she should go and play in the lake nearby or something-_

"_OW!"_

_That pokemon did _not _just slap her in the face and wait was it laughing? _

"_Hey! You… Get back here!"_

_The mysterious pokemon ran into the tall grass white fur gleaming and tail high but Morgan was fast too and when she finally caught up she jumped…_

_And promptly face planted into the back of the pokemon, who was equally surprised at a child appearing on its back and buckled its legs at the unexpected weight. Morgan and the pokemon went rolling down the grass and into the lake. _

_Once they both climbed onto the shore, Morgan bust out in a fit of giggles as the pokemon shook out its long white fur— and soaked her again._

"_Hey…! Stop that!"_

_And the chase began again. It wasn't until sunset when she and her new companion parted ways. As Morgan walked home a thought popped into her mind. _

_When was the last time she had this much fun?_

—-

"An absol, huh."

"…"

In Hoenn myth, it was the absol who were responsible for all disasters. When an absol was seen or its cry heard, a disaster occurred soon after. Volcanoes blew, tsunamis wiped out entire towns, meteors struck the earth, earthquakes shook the land, a plagues wiped out an entire city… All of these and more were blamed on the absol. Absolve were the harbingers of Disaster and Death.

Any absol seen was killed on sight.

New research by some pokemon researchers shows that absols warn humans of disaster, but not much evidence proved it. Many superstitious people still clung to the old ways of kill or die.

Not to mention that absol were dark. Dark pokemon were considered evil by many, as were most ghosts and some psychics. This was evident everywhere in Hoenn and even in the other regions. Unova was especially superstitious, Morgan had heard.

"…Do you hate me for it?"

Her words were almost a whisper. She hadn't been this uncertain in a long time. As the ensuing silence nearly screamed in her ears, tears welled up in her eyes, stubbornly squashed. _No weakness_. Standing up, Morgan started to walk away. She knew it. No one would ever accept her or Apolyta, just like her father had said so many years ago.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing? Squirt! It's okay!"

What? Shock ran through her. The taller boy almost man was staring off in the distance, a fond look in his eyes.

"Huh… How should I say this? Well, Granny had an absol too. Gramps swore it was getting ready to swallow him at all times, but I was pretty cool with it."

Wide eyes looked up at Archie's. She couldn't believe it.

"Really? Are you sure? I mean…"

Uncertainty. Doubt. The very demons that have run her out of what was rest of her family were chasing her again.

"Don't worry about it, Squirt. I'm pretty okay with all pokemon that don't try to bite my head off. Or any part of me, really."

Morgan muttered something under her breath.

"Hm? What was that?"

"Thank you."

"Heh! No problem, Squirt!"

—-

_Delphine was content. Her husband was home again, and he looked well and healthy. Her beautiful daughter looked much better than she was when they had lived in Verdanturf. Maybe it was the air here? _

_Humming as she hung up the laundry (the sun was perfect today! She was lucky to have a great husband that could get her this house), she watched as her daughter came running up to the door and practically knocked it down with the force._

"_Mother, mother, guess what?"_

_Turning around to greet her little angel with a smile (because as a mother, you just couldn't not smile at your child) she quickly made note of all the scratches and bruises on Morgan's arms and legs. Where had she been playing today?_

"_Yes, my angel? What happened?"_

"_I made a new friend!"_

_This was wonderful! She hadn't heard Morgan talk about her friends since, well, ever. Smiling, she turned back to the laundry._

"_That's great, dear! Invite them over sometime!"_

"_Actually, I've already brought her over. Her name's Apolyta! Can we keep her?"_

_Wait, what? Turning around quickly, Delphine was shocked to see an absol— _absol!— _staring back, with unmistakable pleading red eyes. The same red eyes that appeared in the darkness whenever disaster was about to occur. _

_("The red eyes only belong to demons, darling. We are safer here; do not venture out of the city.") _

_She couldn't help but to shiver in fear. _

"_Dear…"_

"_Mother, I promise! I'll take good care of her, and she won't make a mess, and please, mom!"_

_Morgan looked about to bust into tears. Oh no, as a mother, Delphine would not let that happen. Fishing around in her purse, she found a couple hundred pokes._

"_My little angel, becoming a pokemon trainer is a long and hard road. But you remember the first rule, right? Always have some pokeballs! Go to the store-you do know where it is, right?- and buy some!"_

The look on Morgan's face was worth any and all the trouble she would ever hear from her husband.

—-

"YOU…YOU ABSOLUTE ASS!"

Morgan ran. She had never heard Archie curse like this before. He usually kept his language to a moderation (he had younger siblings at home, he had explained once. "Ma forbid cussing around the kids"), so something really bad must have happened. As she ran towards the commotion, shoving some other people out of the way, she noted the interesting scene playing before her.

Hm… had Archie actually, finally…

Lost?

Morgan couldn't help but to allow herself a small smirk. Archie's ego really needed to be toned down a bit.

"Hmph. Your skill is unimpressive. You rely far too much on offensive firepower, leaving you open for attacks. As for your carvanha's rough skin… it is only useful when the opponent uses physical attacks. My numel, despite having a type disadvantage, could easily defeat your so called 'savage pokemon'. Hn… It seems that I am still far superior to you, inferior being."

Well, someone was rude. A closer examination revealed the winner of the brawl to be a higher up grunt. So, Archie had started to challenge people in this damned place that weren't horrible at battling? This was going to be fun to watch.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

Woah, Archie wasn't stupid enough to…

Who was Morgan kidding? Yes, he was. Grin quickly sliding off her face, Morgan jumped in front of her friend.

"Archie, please stop. Do try not to punch the… superior officer; you'll get fired. You already got your butt handed to you—"

Shoot, wrong thing to say.

"LET ME AT 'IM, SQUIRT. HE'S MINE."

As Morgan (with much effort, as the quick tempered idiot was much bigger than her) held the pissed off Archie back from certain expulsion, she felt golden eyes analyzing her. The other grunts finally helped her hold the still struggling idiot of a friend that she didn't know could be this stubborn about beating someone up…

"Hm? What do we have here?"

Dear Rayquaza that voice was nasal. And annoying. Somehow, Morgan couldn't blame Archie so much for losing his temper… No! Trying or rather, wanting to punch someone was bad!

"Hn… Sea green eyes , pale skin, and a slight accent. You must be a Sootopolitan?"

Sootopolitan, huh. It had been a while since someone confronted her about her race. Or to be more precise, her mother's race. Sootopolitans were the ancient race of Sootopolis, who were rumored to be descendants from mermaids and ancient heroes of the Age of Ice. Their turquoise eyes and hair only added on to their mystery. It wasn't that they were rare. It was just rare that they ventured from their sacred home into the vast lands of Hoenn.

"So what, what's it to you?"

"Hmph. My name is Maxie. You have heard the rumors of your blood being healing properties, yes?"

What. He couldn't be implying what she thought he was implying. _Well, that one guy in Mauville asked the same question._ This… this creep!

"…"

Keep calm, Morgan, he's probably no saying what you think he is. Yeah, there was no way that he was going to ask her that… right?

"I am only requiring a small sample, as—"

Maxie went flying back with a right hook to the jaw. The room of grunts were silent with awe. Even Morgan felt a little surprised.

Dang. That felt good. No wonder Archie liked beating people up so much… No! Punching people was bad!

"Hey squirt, how come you got to punch him?"

—-

**Author notes:**

**Ah, OC!Morgan was such a cute little tyke. I wonder how her dear wonderful father is going to take the news? **

**Don't expect the next few chapters to be updated so quickly. This is only because I had already had this chapter fully written out.**

**Please drop a review on your way out. Constructive criticism will be appreciated. Until next time~!**


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